Trial Will Examine Whether Arpaio Recall Effort Illegal

An Arizona citizens group will litigate the organizers of the failed recall effort against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Although progressive group Respect Arizona failed in its bid to begin a recall of Arpaio, the trial will continue–both to highlight the illegality of trying to recall an elected official inside of six months of being sworn into office and to force Respect Arizona to reveal the signatures they claim to have gathered but refuse to release.

The hearing is the result of a lawsuit filed by attorney Larry Klayman on behalf of his client, Citizens to Protect Fair Election results.

According to Klayman, Article 8, Part 1, Section 5 of Arizona’s Constitution clearly bars any recall effort of an elected official within the first six months after they are sworn into office. Groups like Respect Arizona and certain “county agencies” worked for a recall anyway, so Klayman believes the hearing will serve the purpose of checking such “improper schemes” once and for all.

He says that without a solid court ruling in light of this section of the Arizona Constitution, groups like Respect Arizona will continue to launch recalls whenever they please, prohibitions to the contrary be damned.

Although Respect Arizona refuses to release the list of signatures it claims to have collected, Klayman is confident this is simply because the anti-Arpaio group knows the names “were procured under false pretenses.” 

The hearing will starts on June 25 at 1:30 PM, Judge Michael Herrod residing.